Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender.

Author's Note: This multi-chaptered story is entirely unrelated to my first story, Iroh's Sage Advice. Although this story will contain many more lemons, it is (hopefully) far less smutty, and not every chapter will have a lemon.

Dishonored

Chapter 1: Return of the Fire Princess

"HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?" Azula screamed at her brother, shooting daggers from her teary golden eyes. If looks could kill…

"This is beyond my control! It's out of my hands – you've already been accepted!" Zuko shouted back, taking a cautious step closer toward his hysterical sister.

"LIAR! You are the Fire Lord! You have the power to stop this and you know it! You just won't because you want me gone!"

"I don't want you gone, Azula. I've really missed you. Even our screaming matches. Please try to understand," appeased Zuko, lowering his volume.

"Oh, I understand. I understand that I single-handedly disbanded The New Ozai Society, your greatest threat. I understand that I SAVED YOUR LIFE. I understand that after returning to the Fire Nation after disappearing for MONTHS, you want me to pack my bags and leave!" Azula cried angrily, pacing about her room erratically.

"It's not that simple… the threat hasn't exactly vanished… it just transferred," the Fire Lord explained. "The New Ozai Society followers find you to be an even more capable leader than Father. As long as you're here, my life will continue to be in jeopardy! I'm still receiving death threats!"

"You know I can handle them, and you know I no longer desire the throne! This is because of them. Mother wants me gone. Noren wants me gone. Kiyi wants me gone. Your Kyoshi bodyguard, or should I say girlfriend, wants me gone. And you're too much of a COWARD to stand up to them!" Azula bawled while falling dramatically face-down onto her bed. The princess sobbed into her pillow.

"Azula, please calm down," Zuko urged with soft tones. "We all need to adjust to this new life. Plus, University will be good for you! You have so much to learn about the world. You'll finally realize how incorrect and biased the History textbooks were at the Royal Fire Academy for Girls. They're just like Science textbooks from Gu Xing!" Zuko took a seat next to Azula on the side of her bed.

"What's Gu Xing?" asked Azula, her voice muffled from her pillow.

"A sheltered island in Chameleon Bay, also known as the 'Lone Star Isle'. It's an awful and unnecessary waste of space that's been trying unsuccessfully to secede from the Earth Kingdom for years, but that's beside the point. This is a perfect example of why you need to go to University!" Zuko pleaded, gently putting his hand on Azula's shoulder.

Azula rolled onto her side, facing away from Zuko. "Fine. I will go," Azula conceded begrudgingly. "Have fun playing house with your perfect new family."

"The next four years will go by before you know it. And when you return to the Fire Nation, you'll be welcomed back with open arms," Zuko comforted, gently stroking Azula's back.

"Get out of my room," Azula demanded with more hurt than hatred. "I have to pack."

Zuko gave his little sister a light kiss on the top of her head before exiting her room.

The princess awoke with the rising sun the following morning. One of the Fire Lord's many servants would be personally escorting Princess Azula to Ba Sing Se via hot air balloon. Azula wanted to travel alone, but Zuko could not yet trust her to her own devices. She idly watched as the servant carried all her packed belongings onto the balloon. To the princess's surprise, Zuko, Ursa, Noren, and Kiyi all came outside to say goodbye and wish her safe travels, although all but Zuko were noticeably keeping their distance. Azula stoically waved goodbye to them and then turned to step foot onto the balloon, but stopped when she noticed a hand on her shoulder.

"You really think I'd let you leave without a hug?" Zuko smiled.

Zuko was astounded when Azula pulled him in close for a hug, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck. She pressed her cheek up against his cheek. To the rest of the family observing this scene from afar, it would appear to be a genuine, loving family moment. But Azula was not feeling the love.

"You're going to pay for this," she hissed into his ear, keeping her face sweet and composed.

She gave Zuko a quick kiss on the cheek and then escaped into the balloon. Azula smiled innocently at him as she and the servant took off. Zuko stared back with sheer horror emanating from his yellow eyes.

Upon arriving at Ba Sing Se University, Azula was shown to her dorm room by an upperclassman. The upperclassman was much more delighted to carry Azula's belongings than Zuko's servant, who had grown exceedingly tired of the spoiled princess during their trip. The princess thanked the pair for their services and dismissed them. Azula looked unenthusiastically at the wooden door in front of her.

"Guess this is the entrance to my prison cell for the next four years," the princess scoffed as she entered her room.

Half of the room was barren, while the other half was lively decorated. Though the Fire Nation flag occupying the majority of the wall to the right of the door was most apparent, it was surrounded by a healthy collection of Earth Kingdom paraphernalia, including a spiked meteor hammer. Amber-and-red pillows conspicuously poked out from under green bedding. On the wall farthest from the door but close to the decorated bed was a portrait of a woman with short brown hair and fierce dark eyes embracing a larger, unattractive man with untidy brown hair and unintelligent eyes. Azula's roommate was setting up her desk when she heard the princess enter.

"Hey roomie!" the woman from the portrait exclaimed while turning around to greet the newcomer. "Spirits! I didn't know I would be sharing a room with the Fire Princess!"

Azula feigned a smile, not putting much effort into making it appear genuine.

"Most people are excited about being accepted to the most prestigious university in the world..."

"My good-for-nothing brother sent me here to punish me for saving his life, because death would have been too kind," Azula dramatized, rolling her eyes.

"Well at first I was afraid to tell you this, but now I think it may actually brighten up your time here. I met your brother once, nearly three years ago, while sneaking into the Fire Nation Palace… in order to assassinate him."

Azula was intrigued. "What is your name?"

"Kori. Kori Morishita of Yu Dao, the first Fire Nation colony in the Earth Kingdom."

"Kori, I think you and I are going to be great friends," the princess asserted, the left corner of her lips curling into a malicious smile. "I'd love to hear the rest of this story, perhaps over tea? I know the perfect place."

"…So it didn't take long before Zuko entirely changed his mind about the Harmony Restoration Movement. He is one of the most indecisive people I have ever met – I completely understand why so many Fire Nation citizens have doubted his ability to lead," Kori detailed between sips of lemon ginger tea. "Anyway, Zuko ended up leading the Fire Nation army against Earth King Kuei's army to battle for control of Yu Dao, unabashedly betraying Avatar Aang in the process. Aang was so furious with Zuko, it triggered his Avatar state! Eventually Aang came to his senses and ended the battle by physically separating Yu Dao from the earth, sending Zuko to plummet to his death. Aang saved him at the very last minute."

As angry as Azula was with her brother, and as many times as she prayed to be an only-child, she was still thankful that Kori's assassination attempt failed and that the Avatar decided to save Zuko's life. She never really wanted Zuko dead, which was evident from all of their past spars. Azula never missed her attacks – she was always careful to avoid severely hurting her brother. Her mind wandered to the time when she nearly killed Aang, one of her biggest regrets. She knew she would eventually have to make amends with the Avatar, who had been so merciful in sparing her father's and now her brother's life. But first, there was one person to whom she owed a sincere apology. The man who watched over her brother for years, the man who she shot with lightning after she had "surrendered", the man whose delectable pomegranate oolong tea she was currently drinking.

"Well, Kori, that is quite the tale. I respect your tenacity and unyielding determination. But just so you know, if anyone is going to kill my brother, it's going to be me," Azula playfully smirked before downing the rest of her tea. "I need to have a chat with the owner of this tea shop. Why don't I meet you back in the dorm? Your tea is on me."

"Thanks, Azula! See you soon."

The princess walked to the back of the tea shop and was about to push aside the drapes to get to the kitchen when she was stopped by her tea server.

"Hey! You can't go back there!"

"Oh, I most certainly can," Azula retorted.

"The kitchen is for employees only. You don't work here."

"Not yet," the princess confidently asserted as she made her way into the kitchen.

Azula found her uncle delicately preparing several pots of tea, singing to each of his creations with songs of love. "Hello, Uncle," the princess said timidly, not knowing how Iroh felt toward her given their messy history. "It's really good to see you."

"Azula, my niece! I was wondering when you'd find your way to my humble tea shop," Iroh beamed, offering his arms for a hug.

This gesture brought tears to Azula's eyes. The princess tried hold them back as she gave her uncle a big hug, but before she knew it, she was sobbing into his chest. Feeling his niece fall to pieces in his arms drove him to tears as well.

"How could you possibly forgive me so easily?" she wept. "After everything I've done…"

Iroh took a step back, holding her delicate hands in his and looking warmly into her yellow tear-filled eyes. "You are not the young girl you used to be, my beautiful niece. You are choosing your own path, shaping your own destiny. You are now free from your father's control. Let the past be the past, so you can look forward to a bright future filled with compassion and kindness."

The princess nodded. "I will, Uncle. But I still want to do something to make up for my repugnant behavior."

"You can repay me by performing brilliantly in University."

"Well, I have no doubt I can do that…but I had another idea in mind. Maybe I could help out here part-time? Of course, you would not have to pay me. I'd much prefer compensation in the form of your lengthy anecdotes with which Zuko is so familiar," Azula smiled graciously.

"Nothing would bring me more joy than spending quality time with you. And I am happy to share my life's stories with you, but if you're going to work here, I will pay you for your time. I would not have it any other way," Iroh insisted.

"You have yourself a deal, Uncle. Oh, actually, I have one more request. Will you please teach me how to play Pai Sho?"

Over the next month, the roommates settled into a comfortable routine and an unbreakable friendship. On class days, the girls would wake up early, have a quick breakfast, and go for a run through the scenic areas of the campus. Then Azula would practice her firebending while Kori honed her skills with her meteor hammer along with some earthbending. The roommates sometimes even traded stances and movements to enhance their own bending styles. After training, the girls would shower and spend the rest of the morning and afternoon in classes, sharing a short lunch break. After classes, the roommates would unwind by recounting stories from their pasts over a hardy dinner. They were consumed by homework assignments and studying during the evening. On non-class days, their morning exercise routine was the same, but then Azula would go to work at the Jasmine Dragon while Kori, who was not quite as gifted as Azula, would plant herself in the library to study some more.

Slowly but surely, Kori was able to get the princess out of her comfort zone. She had even convinced Azula to tryout with her for an all-female a cappella group, the Ba Se Singers. Unbeknownst to everyone in Azula's life, the princess had perfect pitch and a lovely singing voice. Both girls made the cut and practiced with the group twice a week.

One evening, while the roommates were studying in their bedroom, a messenger hawk flew in from the window, landing on Azula's bedpost. The princess untied a letter strapped to the hawk's leg. The stationary was light pink, which could only mean one thing.

"What's that?" inquired Kori.

This was the first time a messenger hawk had delivered a letter to Azula and not Kori, who was accustomed to receiving a weekly letter from her Freedom Fighter boyfriend, Sneers.

"Just a letter from Ty Lee," Azula informed.

"Your acrobat friend who betrayed you several years ago? The one who knows how to chi-block?"

"Yes. Since my brief return to the Fire Nation, she's been trying desperately to make amends. I told her I would forgive her if she kept tabs on Fire Lord Zuzu for me. I wonder what she has to report."

"Ooh gossip! Read it out loud!"

Azula laughed and began to read. "Dear Azula, Zuko is out of control! Let's just say he's overly enjoying his newfound freedom. Without the constant threats of assassination, he's been too laidback and not taking his responsibilities seriously. Three months into his 'fling' with Suki, he abruptly called things off, completely breaking her heart. The only explanation he gave her was that he did not want a commitment! He mentioned that it's about time he pays more attention to his fan girls! What should I do? I need your help. Also, I miss you and can't wait for you to come home! XOXO, Ty Lee"

Kori and Azula exchanged looks of shock and disgust.

"Hmmm… I wonder if I can somehow use this tidbit of information to destroy him when I return to the Palace. My revenge needs to be perfect. Unnecessarily cruel and psychologically damaging," Azula schemed. Although she had made great progress in changing her evil ways, she still needed to punish her brother for deserting her during such a crucial time in her life.

"Hah, well, I have the perfect idea then – trick him into sleeping with you!" Kori joked. "That would certainly be psychologically damaging."

Azula's eyes lit up like fireworks at a Fire Nation festival. "You're a genius! An evil genius!"

"I was KIDDING! You're not seriously considering it, are you?"

"Oh, I'm not only considering it, I'm going to take it a step further. What if I made sure to be the ONLY woman he was with for an entire year? What if I tricked him time and time again? He'd be CRUSHED!" Azula ranted. "Sooner or later he'll become paranoid. He'll never know when to expect it." The princess's hands ignited into giant blue orbs. "He'll be reduced to a shriveling shell of a man whose only hope is to pray for death! Only then will I consider the scale to be balanced, leaving only a few more minor tragedies to be bestowed upon my foolish brother. HE WILL RUE THE DAY HE WAS BORN!"

"Well, okay then," Kori said nervously, shifting her eyes from left to right. "I guess it's true what they say about royal families…"

Azula was too consumed with her own devious thoughts to acknowledge Kori's response. She pulled out a blank, bound notebook and began to write feverishly, a sadistic smile playing across her face.

"The contents of this notebook detail my plans for revenge against my dear brother, Fire Lord Zuzu, who foolishly abandoned me when I needed him most. Phase 1: The Masquerade Ball…"

Author's Notes:

(1) I'm going to try my best to not include any OCs. In case you haven't read the comics, Kori Morishita is not an OC – she's one of the main characters from The Promise, the first ATLA graphic novel.

(2) Chapter 2 begins with a 4-year time skip directly to the masquerade ball. Expect a BIG, FAT, JUICY LEMON at the end of this chapter.

(3) Feedback is always welcome! Enjoy : )